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Foreign language peace of mind: a positive emotion drawn from the Chinese EFL learning context

  • Li Zhou ORCID logo , Jean-Marc Dewaele , Katja Lochtman and Yiheng Xi EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: November 25, 2021
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Applied Linguistics Review
From the journal Applied Linguistics Review Volume 14 Issue 5

Abstract

This study presents a new positive emotion construct, 外语平和心态 (waiyu pinghe xintai) or Foreign Language Peace of Mind (FLPOM), drawn from the Chinese cultural tradition. It is a low-arousal positive (LAP) emotional state (e.g., calmness, peacefulness) and a state of internal harmony. Three sub-studies were conducted. In Study 1, a measurement scale of FLPOM was developed and validated. In Study 2, the FLPOM scale was administered to Chinese English as a Foreign Language learners along the Chinese Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) scale which can potentially reflect slightly more high-arousal positive (HAP) states (e.g., joy, enthusiasm) to test the discriminability of FLPOM from FLE. Study 3 examined the extents to which FLPOM and FLE predict Chinese learners’ language proficiency. Correlation and discriminant validity analysis confirmed that FLPOM and FLE were related but discriminable emotion constructs. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that FLPOM was a stronger predictor of Chinese learners’ self-perceived FL proficiency than FLE. Possible implications on FL teaching and learning in the Chinese context were provided.

Keywords: cultural variation; foreign language enjoyment; foreign language peace of mind; harmony; inner peace; self-perceived FL proficiency
Corresponding author: Yiheng Xi, School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China, E-mail:

Appendix 1: The Foreign Language Peace of Mind scale

Instructions: The following statements are related to “peace of mind” in learning English. Please select a number from 1 to 5 to indicate to what extent the statements are consistent with your personal experiences.

1 = Strongly disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Neither degree nor disagree; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly agree

(Item English)

  1. My mind is free and at ease in the English class.

  2. I have peace and harmony in my mind when learning English.

  3. I am patient and unhurried in the English class.

  4. My mind remains very steady in the process of studying English.

  5. I feel peace and comfort in the English class.

  6. I am able to find inner peace and harmony when experiencing stress or pressure in English learning.

  7. I have an inner sense of tranquility and harmony in the English class.

  8. In English learning, I learn from my mistakes and move forward.

(Item Chinese)

  1. 英语课上, 我的内心是轻松自在的。

  2. 在英语学习中, 我的内心感到平静、和谐。

  3. 英语课上, 我从容耐心, 不慌不忙。

  4. 学英语的过程中, 我的心态一直很平稳。

  5. 英语课上, 我感到平静、舒适。

  6. 当英语学习带来压力时, 我能够找到内心的宁静与和谐。

  7. 英语课上, 我的内心有一种安定感、和谐感。

  8. 在英语学习中, 我会从错误中学习并向前看。

Appendix 2: The Chinese Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale (CFLES) (Li et al. 2018)

To what extent do you agree with the following statements?

Strongly Disagree/Disagree/Undecided/Agree/Strongly Agree

(Item English)

  1. I don’t get bored.

  2. I enjoy it.

  3. I’ve learnt interesting things.

  4. In class, I feel proud of my accomplishments.

  5. It’s a positive environment.

  6. It’s fun.

  7. The teacher is encouraging.

  8. The teacher is friendly.

  9. The teacher is supportive.

  10. There is a good atmosphere.

  11. We form a tight group.

(Item Chinese)

  1. 我不厌倦英语学习。

  2. 我享受英语学习。

  3. 学英语的过程中, 我学了很多有趣的事情。

  4. 在班里, 我为自己的英语成绩感到自豪。

  5. 周围英语学习的氛围很好。

  6. 学英语很有趣。

  7. 老师总是鼓励我们。

  8. 老师很友善。

  9. 老师总是支持我们。

  10. 我身边有很好的英语学习氛围。

  11. 我们有紧密的学习小组。

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Received: 2021-05-15
Accepted: 2021-11-13
Published Online: 2021-11-25
Published in Print: 2023-09-26

© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2021-0080
Keywords for this article
cultural variation; foreign language enjoyment; foreign language peace of mind; harmony; inner peace; self-perceived FL proficiency

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Research Articles
  3. Deaf signing diversity and signed language translations
  4. ‘Smelling’ diasporic: bargaining interactions and the problem of politeness
  5. Discursive strategies of self-promotion by doctors in online medical consultations in China: an e-commercialised practice
  6. Learning semantic and thematic vocabulary clusters through embedded instruction: effects on very young English learners’ vocabulary acquisition and retention
  7. Towards an understanding of multilingual investment: multilingual learning experiences among mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong
  8. The cognitive-conceptual, planning-organizational, affective-social and linguistic-discursive affordances of translanguaging
  9. Development and validation of the questionnaire on EFL students’ perceptions of authorial stance in academic writing
  10. Emergent LOTE motivation? The L3 motivational dynamics of Japanese-major university students in China
  11. Study abroad, human capital development, language commodification, and social inequalities
  12. Exploring the impact of a teacher development programme using a digital application on linguistic interactions in the classroom: a multiple case study
  13. Boredom in practical English language classes: a longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis-curve of factors model
  14. Medical students’ attention in EFL class: roles of academic expectation stress and quality of sleep
  15. Foreign language peace of mind: a positive emotion drawn from the Chinese EFL learning context
  16. Mutual intelligibility of a Kurmanji and a Zazaki dialect spoken in the province of Elazığ, Turkey
  17. Investigating the relationship between linguistic changes in L2 writers’ paraphrasing, paraphrasing performance and L2 proficiency
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